A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope for observing and/or treating a body cavity, or more particularly, to an endoscope by which a pressurized air is led into the inner portion of it.
B. Description of the Prior Art
An endoscope is a medical instrument which is employed for observing and/or treating a body cavity and an inner portion as well as an external portion of it should be kept clean.
Accordingly, a body fluid, cleanser or disinfectant should be prevented from flowing into, for example, an inner portion of a grip end. On the top of it, the endoscope should be necessarily dipped in a washtub after use for washing and/or sterilizing the external portion of it.
There are two types of endoscopes in view of waterproof structure, a waterproof endoscope and a non-waterproof one. The waterproof structure is not provided to a gap of parts, for example, an angle deflector dial which not only communicates with the inner portion of the endoscope but also protrudes to the external surface in case of non-waterproof endoscope. On the contrary, a waterproof structure such as a seal by a packing is provided to the gap of parts in case of waterproof endoscope.
A cleanser or disinfectant flows into the inner portion of the grip end when washing above-said non-waterproof endoscope in the washtub and then the endoscope is contaminated. Moreover, the body fluid or the filth flows into the inner portion through a pinhole or a crack on the flexible sheath even if the waterproof endoscope is perfectly sealed and also the inner portion is contaminated.
To attack above-said problems, it is necessary to raise the internal pressure of the non-waterproof endoscope in order to prevent the cleanser from flowing into the inner portion when washing and/or sterilizing it. In addition, it is also necessary to detect the pinhole or crack of the waterproof endoscope before utilizing it. But, the necessary steps have not been taken for the problems.